Pollution & climate change has been one of the biggest battles for humans in the past decades. From physical to mental, the effects of toxic chemicals and pollutants in the environment are not unknown. Environmentalists have been warning us of the ill-effects for a very long time. BUT did you know that pollution can also impact fertility? And not just that, it is known to be causing the penis length in general to shrink. Along with that toxic chemicals in the environment is also decreasing the sperm count and testicles.

According to a new book called Countdown, by Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, "sperm counts have dropped almost 60% since 1973" The adverse effects of toxicity in the environment are said to be causing decreasing sperm count, quality, penis length and testicular volume. Swan’s research goes on to suggest that the sperm counts could reach zero by 2045. This chilling detail should alone be enough to help people realise the wrong path we are on in terms of the contamination of our environment with toxic chemicals that can stay on forever.

"In some parts of the world, the average twentysomething woman today is less fertile than her grandmother was at 35," Swan writes.  Swan also finds that, on average, a man today will have half of the sperm his grandfather had. "The current state of reproductive affairs can’t continue much longer without threatening human survival,” writes Swan, adding: "It’s a global existential crisis."

If you are wondering about ways to stop such toxins from infiltrating your lifestyle then you must know that it is going to be a huge challenge. It is being said that the chemicals to blame for this crisis are found in everything from plastic containers and food wrapping, to waterproof clothes and even fragrances in cleaning products, soaps and shampoos, etc. Not just that, electronics and carpeting may also introduce you to these toxins and pollutants.  Some of them, called PFAS, are known as "forever chemicals", because they don’t breakdown in the environment or the human body. Swan’s research finds that these chemicals aren’t just dramatically reducing semen quality, they are also shrinking the penis size and volume of the testes. This is nothing short of a full-scale emergency for humanity.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2021 05:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).